The little dancers will spin a jig on the colonnade. Wallachian tradition is heading for the UNESCO list

Little Odysseans push traditional dance towards UNESCO inscription

The weekend camp of the small odzemkářs led by the folklore ensemble Malé Zálesí and the Wallachian Cultural Association will culminate in a public performance within the Folklore Spa event, which will literally dance in the Luhačovice colonnade on Sunday, June 15 at 2 pm. And it won't just be a cultural experience - the children will symbolically help to push one of the pillars of Wallachian folk culture into the UNESCO register with their dancing.

"Bringing the Odzemek to children is not just a pedagogical experiment. It is a strategic step to preserve a living tradition that has no chance to survive without natural generational transmission," says Roman Navrátil, Chairman of the Council for Wallachian Odzemek.

Enrollment is scheduled for this coming March

The event is part of a long-term project aimed at getting the Wallachian Badge on the UNESCO Register of Good Practices. This will take place in March 2026, and the documentation of the children's performance in Luhačovice will be an integral part of the official application.

The Valachian Folklore Society in cooperation with the National Museum in Nature and the Wallachian Museum in Nature are behind the whole initiative, which together strive to preserve and vividly transmit the traditional male dance that used to express the strength, agility and character of Wallachia.

The colonnade will be transformed for a while into an improvised stage full of movement, joy and tradition. And visitors will witness much more than just a folklore show. It will be a dance with a long history and future.

Categories: Culture, What to do in Luhačovice, Why to Luhačovice, Luhačovice, Folklore, Folklore Spa, Tradition